₦airaland Forum

@Jennypharb1 and @daks02.

Hang on there. It will end in praise.

Wawu.

It has been a while.

Congratulations to all who made progress on their Canadian journey: IELTS, ECA, ITA, PPR, CoPR.

To the PPRs:
Dame91, Masekid, Whiteshirtsonly, OYASALOF, dezzydon, adebee16, beeodun, melochic, bbpin, overcomer296, sinie, adaifx, Narkoya, Distinct777, Hephgirl, aderibs, cntabs, Susizo, Sayo02, expectantmomma, Greatlady234

May you be blessed and favored in your new home.

You need to clarify. Seized at which airport?

chikadami:
Good evening landed seniors.
Please Is it true day if u pack all your foodstuffs in one bag it will be seized?

Hi,

Accounting and Finance is one job type that is available everywhere.

It also works with population. Alberta is 4m while Ontario is 13m. Head offices are also mostly in Toronto.

So you have to weigh Alberta with lower costs, higher wages but less opportunities with Ontario's more opportunities but lower wages and higher costs.

All the best.

bekayy:
Thank you to everyone contributing. I am torn in btw Toronto and Alberta for Accounting and Finance jobs. Does anyone know which place is better? As i want to know what province to do CPA straight away. Thank you. I have done some research but still want to pick your brain on this.

LANDING GIST II


DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL

By flight day, missus and I were already frazzled and I can say I was functioning on autopilot till we landed. Nobody even remembered to take pictures.

Got to airport around 10am and then it was security check, food stuffs check, bags check in and boarding pass, immigration check 2x, customs check 2x, Ethiopian Airlines check (too much wahala for naija). Then waiting for the flight while dealing with 2 running kids.

Land at ADD. Wait for next next flight while dealing with increasingly frustrated kids.

Flight again. Long, long flight. Filled declaration card on the plane.

Flight itself was cool. Spent long parts of the flights carrying baby Joo up and down the planes. If anyone on the flights saw a family dealing with 3 sons, that was us.

At immigrations in Toronto, there's the visitor's side and the PR/citizens. Most people on the flight were PR/citizens and so went to their line. In our stressed state, we simply followed them.

At the end of the line, we had to go back to the visitor's side and be on the queue again.

It was the usual questions. We then went to another side where our CoPR was treated. Met the "Welcome to Canada people". Did our SIN. Went to pick our bags. Our bags were the last ones there.

Went to customs. Didn't fill goods to follow before hand with all the stress. The lady asked which goods are coming. I said books and some games. She said, books. Asked, Are you sure that is all. Asked like 3x.

Then got a taxi to take us to our Airbnb.

POST LANDING

I'm still decompressing. Things have been moving in a dream like state. I'm almost there.

Registered with ACCESS for a 4 wks program. Opened accounts with BMO. Got a FIDO line. Got a PRESTO card.

Still house hunting. Don't yet know how to celebrate our first Canada Day.

Now I understand why people first stay with family/friends or go to to Edmonton or Calgary where there's more support. It's been an adventure.

All's good. I'm happy to be finally home.

SMALL WORLD

@Misi16, I now know you and hubby. Your hubby and I reconnected at Addis Ababa.

@Ifeoma77, if you landed on Tuesday morning June 18, we were on the same flight ADD to YYZ. We must connect here somehow.

LANDING GIST

"...the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry..." - Robert Burns

PPR - April 16
Approval - May 2
Final dispatch - May 13
Passport and CoPR pickup - May 14
Flight - Ethiopian Airlines June 17
Landing - June 18
Port of Entry - Toronto
Destination - Hamilton, ON

NOTES ON PRE-LANDING

1. The choice of Hamilton is due to some longtime plans I have. Hope it all works out.

2. I chose to give one month notice at work due to the fact that I was in charge of a new plant and there were some R & D projects scheduled for May. This meant I could only fully assist my spouse in packing only for a few days after leaving work finally.

On hindsight, that might not have been the best decision as the packing became overwhelming.

3. When you have lots of property, don't wait till PPR or CoPR to start shedding things. Even after selling lots, there were tons of things to give out and many more things we simply trashed.

Kai, now I realize I'm like a dragon in hoarding. I aim to go for a minimal lifestyle now.

What brings problems are not the furniture or kitchen things, they are the tons of books, old notebooks, documents, clothes, etc. You don't need to be ready to relocate to start sorting and setting.

4. For pre-arrival, I was lucky to start Planning for Canada with my biometrics letter and so did my GO and MAP sessions and was referred to other bodies which I made use of (mostly).

I could not make use of other pre-arrival programs. I started SOPA, but couldn't go far.

I think you can only take maximum advantage of pre-arrival programs if you have at least 2 months. So please, once you get your PPR, register for one or two.

5. On cargoing. It might be the best idea if you have a sizable family and/or many things you are bringing.

We decided not to cargo as we thought we had things under control. Few days to flight, we realized that wasn't feasible (there were still lots of books my wife and I could not give up after all the sorting), that we had to cargo.

It was first a challenge cost wise as the weight was just around 50kg. We still went ahead to cargo anyway.

On hindsight, we should have cargoed more. We thought it was a cool idea to take advantage of the maximum hand luggage for the kids.

So for a family of 5, we had 4 hand luggages and a handbag. Imagine me with a backpack, 2 other luggages on one hand and a cranky toddler on the other; my wife with a baby, a luggage and a handbag; with another child choosing at the wrong moments to be the child he is.

Now you can imagine how rough it was at Lagos, Addis Ababa and Toronto airports. Trolley support stops at check in and starts again at check out.

If I had to do it again. Will only carry 2 hand luggages for the laptops and documents.

6. Rented an Airbnb as we didn't know anyone in Hamilton.

7. In between rounding up at work, family life, pre-arrival courses and packing, something had to give. I took a break from Nairaland with a few minutes checking now and then. I've not contributed to the Express Entry thread for a while nor attended to those who pm'ed me. I'm hoping they have gotten good answers elsewhere.

Any food or agric product. You are not supposed to carry more than a certain quantity. Once you have agreed with the officer checking you, you will pay like N2,000 to get a certificate/receipt.

They are at entrance. They are on one side, the security people on the other side.

OYASALOF:
Hello landed seniors , please what do the AGRIC officials at the airport check for? Are they the same people by the entrance/scanner or they're located somewhere in the airport? I'm asking because I don't want to drop any of my stuffs o.

I was of the opinion that I could not take a long break from this thread for anything, that even after landing, I will still contribute.

Well, I couldn't fight life. Relocating especially with a sizable family is a full time job. Settling in a new country especially in an area you don't know anybody is a full time job. Something has to give

I'm still finding my feet. Will still contribute if and when chanced.

Well done to everyone keeping the thread active.

My mailbox is full. To everyone waiting for a reply from me. Apologies. Will revert back as soon as possible.

FaskRolce:
Congrats to the PPR clinchers.. So happy for you. May your journey be victorious. Go and possess the land.


Ps: where is Joo.2018? Been a long while. I miss him

I miss you too.

yemblaze:
Yeah...where are you bro. I remembered him when I saw that our Hall of Fame needs to be updated

BTW can't he hire an assistant....

Actually, it is @raphrulz who updates the hall of fame and since it is his post, only he can modify it.

He will soon update it. Work and relocation can be overwhelming.

ladymarshall:
I was about asking too o. I miss him too. He just got PPR and disappeared

Maybe he's landed and job hunting. That takes so much time.

Our chief researcher and analyst @joo2018 please come out of hiding and say hello to your fans

I miss you too.

yemblaze:
Is like we will transfer them to the sister thread oooo...Make @joo2018 and @ifeoma77 give gi ahead...

Very soon. I'm still getting my bearing.

.

iaatmguy:
thank God am not a fan of him









I am is self acclaimed BROTHER.
we are "brathers"

That's correct.

tolfa:
PCC outside your country of residence doesn't expire so far you obtained it after your last visit. But becomes invalid when you visit again before application submission.

Congrats. May you prosper in your new home.

March AOR. Cool.

cmaamaa:
Now the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts has been accepted by the Lord!!!

People of God its PPR����


PPR - 28th May
NOC – 1122
Family of 2
Travel History: UK, Dubai, Germany, Ghana, Netherlands
No LOE
No ADR
VO Not known
AOR to PPR - 82 days
Never raised a CSE nor called IRCC

1. No. You can only include a biological, step or adopted child.

2. People have included adopted children.

AnnOfili:
Please could anyone assist with a response to this:

Is it possible to add my teenage cousin as a dependant or my dependent child to my profile. His mom wants his name to just go in as my child or dependant while he finishes secondary school by next year and then joins later when I'm settled. I'm a single applicant and pre ITA.

Is there anyone who has been able to add a non-biological child to their application successfully?

You can leave it in your account as cash, use FD, or use 3 or 6 months Tbills. It is at your discretion.

Fidesa:
Hello house,

Trust we are all doing great.

Quick question:

A family member is going to give me my POF which will be backed by a gift deed and notarized (just so that i can have rest of mind).
Now, i wondering which will be best to keep it between Tbills and fixed deposit.
Can someone just advise me on which option is better, with reasons explained.

Ps: My score is 468 and i'm patiently waiting for the next draw, meanwhile i am already gathering my documents ahead, that is why i need some advise on the POF.

Thanks.

For your country of residence, which in your case I believe should be Nigeria, your PCC must not be expired. That means you will work with the 3 months.

beges:
Please I want to be clear on this pcc thingy. Did you say the validity of pcc is 6months cos I have 3month boldly written on my Nigerian pcc?kindly clarify this for me please

Topsmamen:
It is valid for 6 months although it's stated as 3 months on the PCC.

beges:
This got me thinking...

Accra is your VO. Be hopeful, Accra is delivering nowadays.

Folafikemi:
So I called CIC this morning to determine the stage at which my application is after a quiet while (PNP) and I got the shocker. Was told the processing office is at ACCRA.

I was mute for a sec. Pls I want to know if my thinking is coordinated o. Thought PPR will first surface before getting involved with Accra VO and pls family what should I expect as I have heard lots of not so interesting story and delay about Accra VO. Thanks

Chief, using gckey should be straightforward.

Check this FAQ: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/questions-answers-by-topic.asp?st=23.2.2

smartkester:
it's not working. Please can i get a link or must i use desktop to create account

Congrats. May you reap bountiful harvests in your new land.

Masekid:
It’s PPPPPPRRRRRRR guys...
GLORY, GLORY TO THE ALMIGHTY GOD...

I grudgingly woke up this morning, did all my morning routines and I was about to step out when something in me told me to check my mail and viola! PPR mail was sitting pretty in my inbox. I couldn’t believe it!!! I was numb for a micro second.

Congrats. May you excel in your new home.

Lovely story. It has ended in praise.

deboks:
Its PPR!!!!!!!!!
I can't wipe the smile of my face!!!
Its been a long long long Journey... But as we say and as it has been true and trusted..." It shall end in praise!!"


PPR
Told application by Call agent that it was approved 13th May 2019
Letter came in 27th May 2019 dated 27th May

Yes, you can invest your money even if gifted to you as submit the investment certificate as proof.

pyruvateluv:
Is it possible to invest my gift deeds, and submit proof of gift deeds and investment as POF?

Mm.

Keeping money for 6 months is not a CIC demand.

The issue is the provenance of the funds. A lot of people in this process don't have the funds when they start.

IRCC wants to know that the money is both yours and available to you. They are also aware that people borrow money to fund the process. They are the people they are trying to trap with the 6 months average balance requirement.

Gift deeds, property sales documents, etc can be used to explain the provenance of your funds.

Your friend who built his POF within 4 months is an outlier. The source of his funds is his salary as would be clear from his statement of account.

But what if your income is not much? The only argument you can present is that you have been saving for a while. So CIC will use your 6 months average balance to cofirm that the funds is yours.

People need to be properly guided. NOCs and POF are the main reasons get refusals.

nomad26:
The fact that CIC requests that the letter contain 6 months average balance doesn't necessarily mean you have to keep complete POF for 6 months. I have a friend who built up his POF with his salary within 4 months. Basically he didn't touch his salary at all (wife was covering all bills) and his average monthly balance increased gradually until he had complete POF. He submitted his application shortly afterwards, without waiting 6 months, with bank letter + six months bank statement and he got PPR in December.
My point is that people should know the facts and then package their applications accordingly. All CIC want to know is that the money is readily available to you. They don't demand that your POF be in your account for 6 months.

Only CIC knows.

However, you can use xe.com or oanda.com for your calculations.

bekayy:
Hello House. Please who knows the exchange rate website used for POF by CIC. Thank you.

No.

Adva45:
Please, must one have fund in one's account before opening an express entry profile?

Boss, hang on there.

It is almost here.

deboks:
Hello FAM;
Got a question, don't know if anyone has experience this.

My AOR is September 15th 2018. Yes. Its almost 8 months 2 weeks (for those who believe they are the last in December AOR to receive PPR; saw a comment like that and silently chucked). Many of us are out there... Mostly just exhausted to comment...as most of the peeps we applied with have landed. Lol. This process can take a lot from you... Be prepared.

Chief, you are right to be concerned.

NOC match verification is strict at the IRCC stage. You need to ensure that your work reference letter matches your chosen NOC.

It can be terrible to get a refusal months into eAPR stage after spending so much time on the PNP stage.

psalmizt:
My primary NOC is 1122 and that was what I started in my provincial application. It is IRCC's strictness that I am concerned about. I dont intend to change my reference letters and my experiences are legit. I am just concerned about the seemingly gap between my chosen NOC and reference letter.

All my experiences can be verified.

Hoping you have through.

smartkester:
it doesnt seem to open

Best case scenario is to get another letter with the salaries included.

If it is not possible for whatever reason, the old letter + promotion letter + SOA with salaries highlighted should work.

Esomimi:
Good evening all,

Please I need clarification on sths.

I am Pre-ITA, currently sitting in the pool and I already got my reference letter from HR dated May 9th, 2019 (Level - ET) However, I recently got promoted and my promotion letter is dated May 10th, 2019 (New Level - ABO). The job function, Title (Relationship Officer) and working hours did not change, the initial letter also did not carry salary amount.

To my question:

1. Do I need to get a new reference letter, even though nothing is really changing apart from the level? Or can I just submit the old one without my promotion letter?
2. Since my salary wasn't stated, and our payslips do not carry official logos, can I just print my statement and highlight all salary payments?
3. The promotion came with salary increase which reflected in the last salary payment. If I do not submit a promotion letter as proof of the increase in salary amount, will it raise any queries?

Looking forward to your great opinions.

Congrats on:

IELTS: @Hb4real, @trendy09 and hubby

EOR: @bozz007

PPR: @ENG0701

COPR: @queenieB

For those of us still on the way, let's keep the faith.

@hardycross, @Edmontonlad, @Guccigucci, that' the spirit.

@Drahl all the best with the remark.

Hope you have gotten past that stage.

You were on the right track, use GCKey.

ThePath:
Please help. I’m trying to create profile, but I’m not understanding. Am I on the right track?

Like as been noted, you don't need to wait 6 months if you are using a gift deed.

Aigbemare:
Good evening everyone!
Silent reader here *waves*

I'm so happy and thankful to everyone that has shared their stories and contributed to this thread. I've really learnt a lot.

Been interested in doing EE for a while now but kept stalling because of POF and all the monies here and there. I sha finally started the process, even if na jeje I go do am.
Did my ECA with WES last year.
Just got my IELTS results LRWS 8,7.5,7.5,7.5.
Checked what my CRS score might be and it's looking like 453.
Tbh I'm a little nervous about applying now cause I'm yet to get my POF ready. Most likely will get support from family but I don't wish to wait for 6mths and I'm wondering what other sure options I can take instead of a gift deed.
Any suggestion would be massively appreciated.

Still to whatever name is on your passport until you change it.

Sedehomon:
Please house I need your help.
I want to begin my ECA and write my Ielts but I'm quite confused as I don't know if I should use my maiden name or my married name in filling the forms because I'm in the process of getting a divorce and my passport bears my married name. I don't know if I should wait till the divorce is finalized and get a new passport with my maiden name before applying for an ECA and write my ielts or I should go ahead with my married name for both of them.
won't it cause any discrepancies in my EE forms?

Thanks all.

Those are cool LRS results. You never went for a remark?

Skillfo:
How do I sign up? This IELTS writing matter is becoming an embarrassment for me because I am a Communications/Web Specialist and writing is a major part of my work. My 1st attempt: L - 8.5 R - 9 S - 8.5 W - 6.5. 2nd attempt: L - 9 R - 9 S - 8 W - 6.5

It happens.

6 months TB is cool. It is 1yr I will advise against.

damzy88:
Hello efam, I would like to know if anyone that used TB got PPR before the maturity date. My Tenor is 182 days so I was wondering if it could affect.

Thanks